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PLANNING AND PROMOTING SOLAR ENERGY Kalee Whitehouse Cadmus Group | SolSmart October 22, 2019
PLANNING AND PROMOTING
SOLAR ENERGY
Kalee Whitehouse
Cadmus Group | SolSmart
October 22, 2019
Presentation Overview
• SolSmart Overview
• Solar Development Goals
• Solar Ready Concepts
• Solar Financing Options & Incentives
• Mitigating Risk
SolSmart Overview
• SolSmart is a national designation
program that recognizes cities,
counties, and regional organizations
that foster the development of mature
solar markets.
• Our national team of experts provides
no-cost technical assistance to help
communities become “open for solar
business”.
• SolSmart uses objective criteria to
designate communities as SolSmart
Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
Benefits of Solar PV
• Economic development and job creation
• Environmental and public health benefits
• Reduced and/or stabilized energy costs
• Local power generation
• Value to the utility
• Local goals and targets
SOLAR DEVELOPMENT
GOALS
Solar Development Goals
• Some ways communities can take action related to solar
development goals include:
• Establish and sharing public goals through a resolution or proclamation
• Incorporate solar goals into Comprehensive Plan and other plans
• Discuss community goals for solar with the local utility
• Engage the community around solar goals
Comprehensive Plans
• Key visioning documents
• Important to align additional planning documents with
Comprehensive Plan e.g. Neighborhood, Energy, Climate plans
• Recognize potential conflicts early e.g. farmland fragmentation
Smithville, TX
• The City of Smithville developed a public solar statement that outlined local solar
goals and established a commitment to achieving these goals.
• Install solar energy systems on key local government facilities
• Develop a streamlined process for solar permitting or inspections
• Evaluate net metering for solar utility customers
• Develop an educational campaign, including grass-roots marketing campaign championed by a local volunteer.
Smithville’s goals include:
Boca Raton, FL
• The city of Boca Raton incorporated local solar goals into the City’s Sustainability
Action Plan
• Certify as a SolSmart community• Create a solar policy for new City
construction• Identify opportunities to include solar
energy on existing facilities• Utilize solar + storage for hurricane
resiliency• Create incentives for solar energy
systems• Create requirements for solar energy
systems
Boca Raton’s goals include:
Key Resources
• To learn more about solar development goals, please visit the
following resources:
➤ American Planning Association. Integrating Solar Energy into Local Plans.
➤ American Planning Association. Planning for Solar Energy.
➤ SolSmart: Planning, Zoning & Development: SolSmart’s Toolking for Local
Governments
Mitigating Risks
• Be proactive on planning for solar PV
• Identify interests and engage stakeholders
• Pay attention to special use districts and make processes for solar
transparent
• Include language on decommissioning of large-scale solar PV
within local planning documents
• .
SOLAR-READY CONCEPTS
Solar Ready Components
• Key considerations for solar-readiness include:
• Sizing of electrical panels and utility rooms
• Conduit from roof to panel
• Roof load and orientation
• Placement of roof equipment
• Compatible roofing for solar
Solar Readiness
• Key actions a community can take to promote solar readiness
include:
• Developing solar ready construction guidelines for property or real estate
developers to enable lower cost installation of future solar PV on buildings.
• Adoption of solar-ready codes in building codes such as the commercial or
residential IECC solar-ready appendices.
• Incentivizing or requiring new construction be solar ready in at least one
zoning district
Fairfax County, VA
• Fairfax County shared design guidelines for solar PV aligned with
the National Electric Code and fire codes.
Minneapolis, MN
• The City of
Minneapolis supported
the development of
Solar Ready Building
Design Guidelines to
help Minnesota
architects, engineers,
contractors and their
clients understand and
plan for future solar PV
and solar hot water
systems.
Pinecrest, FL
• The Village of Pinecrest required new construction and remodeling worth
more than 50 percent of the property’s assessed value to be solar ready
in order to complete future installations at lower cost.
✓ Installation of an appropriate sized conduit, a minimum of one-inch diameter, leading from an exterior south-, east- or west- facing roof where a minimum of four hours of direct sunlight is achieved, to a subbed junction box adjacent to the electrical meter.
✓ All exposed conduit shall be capped and provided with adequate flashing
✓ The conduit shall not be located on or in the direction of a north-facing roof.
✓ Roof reinforcements shall be addressed at the time of installation
Photovoltaic System Requirements:
Key Resources
• To learn more about promoting solar readiness, please visit these
resources:
➤NREL. Solar Ready: An Overview of Implementation Practices
➤ SolSmart. Solar Energy Toolkit for Local Governments.
➤ The Minneapolis Saint Paul Solar Cities program. Solar ready Building Design
Guidelines.
➤OKI Regional Council of Governments. Rooftop Solar Ready Construction
Guidelines.
F I N A N C I N G O P T I O N S +
I N C E N T I V E S
Financing Options and Incentives
• Communities can support solar market development by providing
information on, or expanding, local financing options and
incentives. Some key actions could include:
• Provide information to consumers about residential and commercial solar PV
financing options.
• Provide local incentives or locally-enabled finance for solar PV.
• Engage local banks, credit unions, foundations and/or community funds
about lending for solar PV projects.
Oak Park, IL
• In 2015, the Oak Park Village Board approved the creation of a Renewable Energy Aggregation Fund through the creation of a renewable energy fee on residents' energy bills.
• In the first two years, the fund collected approximately $600,000 to invest in renewable energy projects.
Coventry, CT
• The town of Coventry provides local incentives for solar
PV via a property tax exemption.
“The town hereby authorizes the property tax exemption for active solar energy, heating or cooling systems set forth in G.S. § 12-81(56)(a), (b) and (c).”
South Miami, FL
• The city of South
Miami waived all
applicable City
building permit fees
relating to the
installation of solar
panels for
residential and
commercial
properties.
Residential Systems Fee
Aggregate service capacity of 599 amps or less (240v)
$100 No fee
Aggregate service capacity of 600 amps or more (240v)
$200 No fee
Commercial Systems Fee
Aggregate service capacity of 599 amps or less (240v)
$200 No fee
Aggregate service capacity of 600 amps or more (240v)
$350 No fee
Photovoltaic & Solar Thermal Systems Fee Schedule:
Key Resources
• To learn more about expanding financing options and incentives for
solar PV, please visit these resources:
➤Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE). Policies
and Incentives by State.
➤ Solar Outreach Partnership. Introduction to Solar Project Finance.
➤ PACE Nation. PACE Programs.
